Hydraulic drive for reels



April 6, 1943 J. c, MONAHAN 2,315,639'

HYDRAULIC DRIVE VFOR REELS Filed Feb. 3, 1941l fr; i B

Patented' Apr. 6, 1943 HYDRAULIC DRIVE FOR REELS John c. Monahan, mm oak, Mich., mmm# to Gar Wood Industries, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a

corporation o! Michigan Application February 3, 1941, Serial No. 377,135

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to :duid motors and also relates to fluid motor drives `for reels, and particularly i'or hose reels mounted on trucks.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a novel fluid motor construction in which the speed of the motor and the speed oi a driven element associated with the motor are automatically controlled to move the drivenelement to a predetermined position while operating at one speed and thereafter operate at a different speed.

A further object oi the invention is to provide a novel iluid motor construction in which a gear element, which is adapted to mesh with another gear element, is driven by the motor and in which the speed o1' the motor is automatically controlled so that it operates'at a low speed while the gear is moved to mesh with the other gear, and thereafter operates at a higher driving speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reeling mechanism in which such mechanism may he driven by an hydraulic motor in one direction and may be operated by hand for free reeling in the opposite direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gear driving fluid motor construction in which the speed of the motor is automatically responsive to the position of the gear.

A.a further object of the invention is to provide an improved gear clutching and gear driving construction in which the gear is shifted to mesh- @ther ohjeets oi the invention will Abecome I parent from the oiievling specification, the ing reiating thereto, irons the ciairns herein@ ai'ter set forth.

m the drawing, in 'Whioh like .n.umerais are used to designate hike parte in the several views throughout:

Figure i is rear eievationai view o automotive tank truoir having reeling aocording to the present invention aseoeiateo. aircrew with;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional. and plane view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an-enlarged, cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line `3--3 oi Fig. 2 and diagrammatically illustrating an hydraulic circuit and associated elements, operatively connected to the fluid motor; and

Fig. 4 is a view of the uid motor similar to Fig. 3 and showing the parts in another position.

While the iluid motor and associated operatingelements, according to the present invention, are here` illustrated as being used for driving a hose reel mounted on an automobile tank truck, and

while such motor and associated elements have particular utility when so used, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the fluid motor finds utility in many other places.

When used on a tank truck, a single hose or a plurality thereof are mounted on reels so that when drawn out, the contents of the truck may be discharged at a considerable distance therefrom. Such hose are often as long at to 200 feet, and are quite heavy, so that the winding oi the hose onto the reel is a dimcult job when done by hand, as is the present practice. According to the present invention, power means are associated with the reel and are mounted on the vehicle so that the reel is free to rotate in order to pull the hose ofi the reel to make deliveries, and power means are provided for re-wlnding the hose back onto the reel. Such power means include an hydraulic motor which is mounted on the truck adjacent the reel and which receives its power from exlble conduits leading to an hydraulic pump and reservoir mounted on the truck in a convenient location, so that the pump may be driven :from the power take-oil.' of the transmission. By providing a fluid drive for the reel, iiexibie conduits may ice used so that the motor may loe located in places which 'would he didiouit or impossible to reach with a meehmcal drive. accordingly, the present invention provides a simpiiried means ior driving the resi, to- @ether with a simplified manner of elutching the driving element with a eri-operating element on the reel.. The "iuid motor is provided a soli.'-

' acting elutch hieh automatleaiiy @inches-in on' ovier is apniiesi with ive and de-ointohes "o i operated 'i automotive nir is iliustrated avi doors i? thereof open and showing a pair or similar reels generally indicated at I4 mounted therein. While a pair of such reels is shown, it will be understood that the reels and driving means for each of such reels are similar to leach other, so that a description of one will be sufficient for both.

The reel I4 includes a sheet metal drum or spoollt having disc members I8 and 26 welded thereto, such disc members I8 and 2l being provided with centralv apertures 22 therethrough which receive therein a hollow axle or shaft 24. Shaft 24 is xed to the disc members I8 and 28, preferably bywelding, so that the spool I6 is driven with shaft 24. The shaft 24 is formed with a pair of spaced bearing portions 26 which are adapted to be received within bearings 28. Such bearings 28 may be suitably mounted to the tank body I by means of opstanding, brackets .30, orl the like, which are mounted on the body in the desired location. The hose 32 is adapted to be wound onto the reel, and has one end thereof connected to the reel in the usual way so that such end may communicate with the interior of the tank, such as through the hollow shaft 24 and through a suitable connection 34. Connection 34 extends to and communicates with the interior of the tank for emptying the contents thereof.v

l 'Ihe structure so far described is conventional, and it will be appreciated that the hose may be unwound from the reel by pulling the free end thereof; and, in the past, the practice has been to re-Wind the reel by hand.

According to the present invention, drive means are provided for driving the reel, and such means include a :duid motor generally indicated at 36. The fluid motor 3S may be of the vane or other type, Tout is here illustrated as heine` or the gear type having meshing gears 38 and u mounted within the housing, or casing, 122 in the usual way. The gear 40 may be an idle gear and the gear 38 a driven gear, and, in such event, the gear 38 is connected through a conventional speed reducer mechanism 4 4 with a drive shaft 48' for driving the same. A' sliding gear 48 is keyed to the shaft 46 for sliding movement therealong but for rotation therewith.

The casing 42 is provided with an inlet port 58 having a valve52, provided with an operating arm 53, associated therewith and having apes-- sageway 54 which communicates with the inlet 58 when the valve 52 is in the position shown in Fig. 3. The passageway 54 leads to the inlet side of the gear elements 38 and 40 for the purpose of rotating such elements to drive the motor and,

therefore, drive the gear 48. An outlet passagepassageway 56 communicates adjacent the enlarged end 6i in an annular passageway.

M other passageway 62 is formedA in the casing 40 and communicates with the opposite enlarged end 63 of the chamber 58 and also with the inlet port l when the valve is so positioned as to permit such communication.

In order to shift the gear 48 from its idle po- I sition, as shown in Fig. 2, to a position so that it meshes with a drive gear 64, which is keyed to the shaft 24, a reciprocating, cylindrical plunger plunger and the walls of enlarged portions 60, 6I, and 63 of the bore 58. Such plunger 66 has an outwardly projecting stem portion 68 which is slidably received through an aperture 18 formed in casing 42, and projects outwardly therebeyond. An engaging arm 12 is fixed to the outer end of the stem 68 and has a forked end 14 which is received within an annular groove 16 formed in the rear face of gear 48. It will thus be seen that as the plunger 66, together with the -forked arm 12, is reciprocated, the gear 48 is correspondingly reciprocated into and out of mesh with the drive gear 64 which is keyed to vshaft 24 for driving the reel.v

An outlet port 18 is formed in the casing 42 and communicates with the chamber 58 through the enlarged central portion thereof.

The plunger 66 is formed with anALhshaped restricting passageway in the end disposed within bore portion 6l so that such passageway communicates with the end of the bore and also with the central enlarged portion 60. The passageway 80 is of predetermined size and is oi. such a size, smaller than passageway 56, thatV flow of iluid is restricted through passageway 56 to drive the gears at a slowspeed, and a back pressure is built up behind the plunger in enlar-ged portion 6l to move the plunger to the left. A small groove 82 is formed in the opposite end of the plunger which opens through the end thereof and provides constant communication between enlarged portions 60 and S3 to prevent an hydraulic lock as plunger 66 moves to the left. rEhe groove B2 is of less area than the passageway a0 and is only large enough to prevent such lock. v f 'Fluid under pressure is supplied the motor for operating the same by means of a conventional hydraulic pump 8%, which may he driven from the power take-oli of the engine in the usual way, as is done in the hydraulic hoist A tank or reservoir t6 is provided and contains a supply of operating duid, preferably oil, and an inlet conduit 88 communicates with the in te'rior or the tank t@ and with the inlet of the pump t4. A conduit 9@ oounicates with the outlet of pumpl @t and communicates with the inlet port 50 of the motor 36. If desired, a pressure relief valve and by-pass line may he provided in the conduit 9B for the return oi duid directly to the tank in the event that the motor 36 is lshut down, so that the pump 84 may. be run continuously. A return line 82 communicates with the outlet 18 and returns the iiuid to the tank 86.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, with the valve 52 in the position shown and with the pump tt operating, :duid under pressure is supplied conduit 54 and causes rotation of the motor elements 38 and- 40 to drive the gear 48. The speed of such rotation will" depend upon the rate of pasy sage of duid through the motor; and, with the plunger 66 in the position shown, the fluid discharging through passageway 56 will pass into enlarged portion 6I and be restricted in its passage through passageway 86 into the large portion 60. At the same timeja back pressure will be built up within enlarged portion 6i which will act on the right-hand end of plunger 65, therebyv causing the plunger to move toward the left. The gear 48 will thus be drivenat a relatively low speed and, at the same time, will he moved from its idle position into meshing position with gear 64, due to the movement of plunger tt. The

plunger 66 is of such a iength with respect to the length of chamber 58 and the enlarged -portion 60 thereof, so that when the plunger has moved a predetermined distanceso that the gear 4l is in mesh with gear64, the right-hand end of the plunger has passed beyond the annular shoulderSl of the .enlarged portion 50, so that unrestricted flow of iiuid from passage way 56 into the discharge opening 18 is thereby permitted. This will cause a speeding-up of the motor elements 3'8 and 40, so that the gear 48 Vwill operate at full driving speed.

With thefvalve in its neutral position, that is, a position turned counterclockwise 90 from that shown in Fig. 3, iluid under` pressure will then also enter both of the passageways 54 and 62, so that the'gear. 48 continues to rotate, and such iiuid will enter the enlarged portion 63 and act on the left end of the piston 66 to move it to the right and thus separate gears i8 and 54 from driving engagement.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiments of the invention described without departing from the spirit and substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination, an hydraulic motor having a drive element, means associated with said motor providing a flow of fluid therethrough, a

'driven element operatively vconnected to said drive element to be driven thereby, movable means responsive to the fluid flow through said motor and operatively connected to said driven element for shifting said driven element to different positions, and means responsive to the position of said last named means for controlling the speed of said motor.

2. In combination, an hydraulic motor having a drive element, means associated with said motor lproviding a now of fluid therethrough, a driven element operatively connected to said 1 drive element to be driven thereby, movable vmeans responsive to the iuid flow 'through said motor and operatively connected to said driven element for shifting said driven elementfrom an idle position to an operating position, and means responsive to the movement of said last named means for controlling the speed of said motor so that said motor is operated at a low speed until said driven element is in said operating position and then said motor is operated at a higher speed.

3. In combination. a reel, means mounting said reel for free rotation, Iand power means operatively connectiblewith said reel for driving the same, said power meansincluding a fluid motor having a drive element` a driven element operatively connected to said drive element to be driven thereby, means operatively connected to said driven element for shifting said driven element between an idle position out of connection with said reel and a position drivably connected with said -reel. and means responsive to the position of said drivenelement for operating said motor at different speeds.

4. In combination, a reel, means mounting said reel for free rotation, a drive gear iixedly connected to said reel, and power means operatively connectible withsaid gear for driving the same, said power means including a fluid motor having a drive element, a driven gear operatively connected to said drive element to be driven thereby, means operatively connected to said driven gear for shifting said driven gear between an idle position and a positionJ in mesh with said drive gear, and means responsive to the position of said driven gear for operating said motor at dif.- ferent speeds. y y

5. In combination, a reel, means mountingy said reel for free rotation, a drive gearfixedly connected to said reel, and power means operatively connectible with said gear for driving the same, said power means including auid motor having a drive element, a driven gear`.operative1y connected to said drive element to be driven thereby, means operatively connected `to said driven gear for shifting said driven gear between an idle position and a position in mesh with said drive gear, and means responsive to the position of said driven gear for operating said motor at a low speed until said driven gear is in mesh with said drive gear and for then operating said motor at a higher speed.

6. In combination, a truck, a reel, means mounting said reel on said truck, and power means mounted on said truck operatively connectible with said reel for driving the same, said power means including a fluid motor having a drive element, a driven element operatively connected to said drive element to be driven thereby, `means operatively connected to said driven element for shifting said driven element between an idle position when said reel is iree to rotate and a position drivably connected withi said reel, and means responsivev to the position of said driven element for operating said motor at different speeds. y

7. In combination, an hydraulic motor including a casing having a rotary drive element mounted therein,

, position for operating said motor at a low speed and for permitting unrestricted flow through said passageways when in another position for operating said motor at a higher speed.

8. In combination, a pair of mateable toothed elements, means operatively connected to one of said elements for driving said one of said elements and for shifting said one of said elements into and out of -mesh with the other of said elements, said last named means includingan hydraulic motor having a drive element, means associated with said motor providing a flow of operating fluid therethrough, means operatively connecting said drive element with said one of said elements, movable means operatively responsive to the flow of uid through said motor and connected to said one of said elements for moving said one of said elements into and out of mesh with the other of said elementsand means responsive to the position of said last named means for controlling the speed of said motorI so that said motor is operated 'at a low speed until said one of said elements is in mesh with said other of said elements' and then is operated at a higher speed.

9. In combination, a pair of mateable toothed elements, means operatively connectedto one of said elements for driving said one-of said elements and for shifting said one of said elements into and out of mesh with the other of said elements, said last named .means including an hydraulio motor having a .drive element, means associated with said motor providing a ow of 5 operating tiuidtherethrough, means operatively connecting'said drive element with said one of said e1ements,` means operatively connected t0 said one of said elements for moving said one of said elements into and out oi` mesh with the other 10 -motor when in position for operating said motor at a higher s peed,

l JOHN C. MONAHAN. A 

